"He was short hitting some balls out of bounds from the 50, 45, shanking some," Marciano said. "And we just give him a different landmark. He was angling too much.

"Then he got into the groove, and it was awesome to see him make an adjustment. He went a little bit more straighter, and he was in the zone. It was like a free-throw shooter just swishing free throws one after another after another after another."

Lechler's transition is just as smooth. As he's learning names and getting used to a new team, there are times everyone understands why he's one of the best.

"He's been in the league a long time, but once you see him in action, it's just amazing," receiver and returner Keshawn Martin said, grinning. "I'm excited about him punting this year."

In a lot of ways, the move has been pleasant for Lechler, 36. He thought he would spend his career with the Oakland Raiders, but when the offseason came and they hadn't talked with him about re-signing, Lechler asked Raiders owner Mark Davis to tell him if Oakland was interested in keeping him.

So Lechler, who played at Texas A&M, signed with what is essentially his hometown NFL team. And when he did, the Raiders gave him a rare show of respect. They don't often publicly commend former players, but they did Lechler.

"That meant a lot to me," Lechler said. "I kind of felt like when I did sign here in Houston, there was a little bit of bitter feelings between myself and Oakland and vice versa. Just to kind of clear the air, that was good."

Lechler (6-3, 230 pounds) disagrees with the perception of the Raiders as dysfunctional.

"I just felt like there was so much change all the time there," he said. "I went through eight head coaches in 13 years. … I felt like the organization was in a try-to-fix-it-now mode all the time. I'm glad to be here where coach (Gary) Kubiak's been here for a while and it's a stable deal."

Marciano said Lechler has been "as good as advertised" in the short time he's had him. He noted it was his job to find ways to challenge Lechler, and one of those challenges is getting him to punt to the right.

Good adjustment

In years of tracking Lechler's punts, Marciano noticed most of the kicks were down the center and to the left. The Raiders, Marciano said, didn't ask Lechler to go to the right.

Said Marciano: "I told him, 'Everybody plays you the same. They double the guy to the left side and single the guys to the right. Work on placing your balls to the right numbers.' He did one day, and shoot, it was phenomenal. For a guy that wasn't asked to directional punt, he can directional punt."

It's a nice break in the monotony for Lechler, who gets planned days of rest. Marciano said Lechler will not punt for the rest of this week as organized team activities come to an end or next week during the Texans' mandatory minicamp.

Feels like rookie

Lechler's personal life has become simpler. The East Bernard native doesn't have to move his kids from the West Coast to Texas during the season and offseason.

But the move put him in one unfamiliar position.

"It's weird. When I got here the first day, I felt like a rookie again, although this is my 14th season," Lechler said. "I felt like I needed to prove myself again. It was good. I had a lot of nervous energy when I first got here.

"I still feel it, to tell you the truth. I do. I feel like the accountability level that they hold me at, I need to maintain that. I hope to."